Necromunda - The Redeemer's Crusade

Next up on deck is another batch of antagonists for the Dust Falls campaign, in the form of the Redeemer's Crusade!

The recent news of a Plague Zombie infestation has led the legendary incendiary himself, Klovis the Redeemer to the outskirts of Dust Falls, where he is gathering his forces in preparation to put the whole area to the torch for crimes against the Emperor. For not only are the Plague Zombies a menace that must be destroyed, anywhere so foul as to attract them in the first place will likely need a good purging!

The Redeemer and Malakev are always in the forefront of the action! These models have been gathering dust for years, it was really nice to bring them out of retirement, clean them up and bring them up to date! Similarly, the rest of the models below had been sitting in bags in the Closet of Doom for years. Originally the following models were all part of my buddy Dave's Redemptionists, and were all a bit worse for wear having been just sort of tumbled together in a ziploc bag. I broke them all off their old bases and gave 'em a dip in Simple Green to take them down to bare metal.

As these models were all used to great effect against me over the years, I knew right away that I wanted to recreate his paint scheme as an homage to absent companions. His leader with a meltagun was feared above all others back in the day. He also ran a variant of Arch-redemptor Kyrinov in special scenarios. 

You can't go wrong with a couple death cultists! In the new version of the game the group is using the Cawdor gang rules for now - I'm running them as the two champions of the gang, armed with stiletto knives/swords and throwing knives, and Dodge.

A couple of the more fervent followers, bearing holy icons (that in-game have no particular effect).

A trio of close combat lunatics, these three used to rove in a pack and gang up on anyone unfortunate enough to be cornered by them.

The last three models provide a bit of mid-tier shooting, with a pair of shotguns and an autogun. I realized at the end that there's a woeful lack of flame weaponry here, just the single exterminator pack and the Redeemer's holy eviscerator. I'll have to trawl the web for a couple additional models to address that concern!

All in all a fun project modernizing an old group of models, albeit a somewhat bittersweet one. It was good to reminisce about old times with Dave while I was trying to recreate his paint scheme on his old gang, and it feels like a good way to honor his memory. Miss ya, buddy.

On a lighter note, you can't have a post about the Klovis without humming along to the Battle Hymn of the Redeemer!

Necromunda - Downhive Dispatch #2

Got the group of players together over the past weekend for another rumble in the underhive, prompting another release of the...

Downhive Dispatch Vol. 1, Issue #2

After a brief cease-fire, clashes between the houses once again erupted in the Dust Falls area!

  

After remaining hidden the previous session, the Delaque gang known as The Strangers made themselves known in a tunnel skirmish against the Escher gang the Militia of Eth Ridge. (Unfortunately, this being a learn-to-play game between the new Delaque player and myself, I sadly didn't get any pics of the other games being played during this round). The initial whiff of things to come appeared on the various tables in the form of a single plague zombie wandering about causing trouble. The players scoffed at their antics until it came time to try and put them down - In the house rules for the Plague Zombies, they ignore Pinning, Flesh Wounds and Serious Injury results from shooting attacks and are only removed with an Out of Action result (headshots). In hand to hand, they similarly ignore flesh wounds, but are removed on a Serious Injury or Out of Action result. In the end single zombies didn't prove to be much of a threat to the players, but they began to realize the danger larger groups might pose in future sessions!

 

Week four saw the Strangers in a Stand Off against the Arc Welder's Local 419 for the salvage rights to a Collapsed Dome, with the Orlocks taking the field and subsequently setting off a minor collapse when attempting to work the territory for riches.

 

A Border Dispute between the technologically savvy 2nd Shift Linemen and the less sophisticated but far more numerous Light of the Emperor's Benediction ended with the Van Saars securing the services of the Rogue Doc previously employed by the Cawdor. Rumors persist that threats of power outages were sufficient to convince the Doc to change loyalties. Further rumors suggest that the Van Saar gang subsequently sold off one of their juves to the religious fanatics. Whether this was a craven deal for credits or a long-term ploy to embed an informant into the scrofulous group remains to be seen.

 

The other Cawdor gang Meticulosa Nomen engaged in a Tunnel Skirmish with the Escher Cult of Woe, with the Emperor-botherers pulling off a win in the dank tunnels. No territory was exchanged in the scuffle, with both groups battered and bloodied afterwards. The corpse pits shepherded by the Cawdor were rapidly filling as several gangers and juves met their untimely end in this cycle!

 

Rumors abounded of a massive beast making its lair in one of the Old Ruins and several gangs banded together to hunt the creature. The 2nd Shift Linemen had noted several power outages where the creature appeared to be boring through solid metal and rock, severing cable runs and causing rolling blackouts. The two house Cawdor Gangs also arrived for the hunt, as their solemn duty to purge the underhive of the foul beast!

 

To the distress of the gangs involved, the disturbance also appeared to have stirred up more plague zombies, and four of the foul shamblers were spotted in the area. One of the Meticulosa Nomen's freshly-inducted juves was assaulted by one of the zombies, and in a show of fraternity, the crossbow-wielding member of the Light of the Emperor's Benediction selflessly fired a krak grenade into the melee to save their erstwhile ally. However, the shooter's aim was less true than their loyalty to the Emperor, and poor Novice Aleph the 2nd was blasted to giblets. Calls of duplicity and perfidy were shouted and the teamwork between the gangs began to break down...

 

As the groups nervously approached the fifth potential locations, there was a rumble of splintering stone and steel as the towering beast heaved itself up to street level. A massive Ambull roared its irritation at the disturbance and launched itself into the surrounding hunters, swatting several aside with sweeps of its massive claws!

 

The three gangs moved in, pumping round after round into the monstrosity, with it shrugging off the majority of the damage. Luckily, the Van Saar rad-phage weaponry managed to weaken the beast and after a running gunfight they finally managed to bring it crashing to the pavement. The records suggest the creature isn't native to Necromunda, so where had the Ambull come from? Was it mere coincidence that the zombie infestation also appeared to be further entrenched in the area? It remains to be seen - Stay tuned for the next issue!

All in all it was a very fun weekend, unfortunately we were down a couple players due to scheduling conflicts. We're all looking forward to the session next month, which is scheduled to be Carnivale! Numerous events pitting the gangs against one another in contests of skill, speed and acumen, plus the unveiling of the THUNDERCUBE!!! await the players - Gonna be a good time!

Necromunda - PT Barnacle's Carnival of Chaos

Continuing the trend of painting up antagonists to menace my players with in the Down in Out in Dust Falls campaign, time to raise the curtain on PT Barnacle's Carnival of Chaos! These are super old models that have been knocking around in the Closet of Doom for literally decades. Originally a gang from Mordheim, with the addition of a few ratty ranged weapons, they're ready to hit the underways and bring joy (and jaundice) to the inhabitants of Dust Falls...

One of several heralds of the ever-increasing power of Karloth Valois, the carnival will travel around the underhive, shedding plague zombies and disease in their wake until they are confronted and destroyed by the players.

PT Barnacle, Yorrick the Jester, and Hamlitt the Plaguebearer (with Yorrick's original head).

Buboe, Canker, Hangnail and Pustule, the four Helot Cultists of the gang.

Lump and Bump, the two Disciples, and Burble, Bubble, and Spit, the trio of Nurglings round out the group. I'm using the Chaos Cult rules for the group, with a few liberties taken here and there for narrative purposes.

Next up, a whole passel of plague zombies!

Necromunda - Pit Slaves and Bull Gorg

Full speed ahead on Necromunda these days, and the next project on the painting desk recently were a mess of Pit Slaves intended for use in the THUNDERCUBE!!!, a special event that will be taking place in the next session of out Down and Out in Dust Falls campaign. Each gang will sponsor a gladiator, winning credits and reputation for their exploits in the arena. The intention is to run a bracket with the top two going into the final against the notoriously deadly pit champion, Bull Gorg!

First up, the full line-up! The fighters were all bodged together from various kits, notably the Bloodreavers for the bodies, mixed with various Ork, Genestealer Cult, Dark Eldar and Necromunda bits for the weapons and gear.

There are eight players in the campaign, each of whom has a specific pin color associated with them on the campaign map, which was replicated on the various fighters.

They're all armed reasonably similarly, with an autopistol and some sort of horrible rending/chopping/tearing weapon. Carnage ahoy!

  

Bull Gorg is one of my oldest remaining models, I'd built him for use in my original Necromunda campaigns back in the mid-90's. Made from an old metal fantasy ogre, a couple huge chainswords from the 54mm Inquisitor range and some odds and ends he is a beast of a model.

From a narrative standpoint, following the events of the THUNDERCUBE!!!, Bull Gorg will lead an uprising and will subsequently rampage around the map causing a ruckus until they either make it off the map or are stopped by the various player's gangs. Should be a good time!

Necromunda - Downhive Dispatch #1

Over the last month or so I've been beavering away at setting up a Necromunda campaign for a group of local gamers and it came to fruition in the first session of "Down and Out in Dust Falls". Ended up having 7 attendees and for the most part it went smoothly and everyone had a good time! I figured I'd do a little overview via the...

Downhive Dispatch - Vol. I, Issue I

Violence Erupts in Dust Falls!

The fragile peace between the great houses was shattered recently, as simmering tensions finally came to a head. Gangs representing five of the six houses were reported to be engaging in open warfare in the environs around the Abyss, with the notable exception of the scions of House Delaque. Sources suggest that while the rest of the houses aggressions are overt, it is folly to assume the Delaques were not also scheming behind the scenes.

Early in the month The 2nd Shift Linemen of House Van Saar and the Muses of Boom of House Escher faced off in the industrial wastelands and the Van Saar subsequently lodged an OSHA violation complaint about the lack of hand railings following the unfortunate injuries suffered by several of their number falling from various bridges and ledges.

The Arc Welders Local 419 of House Orlock were ambushed by the Dead Dragons of House Goliath, though the stalwart Orlocks managed to fend them off handily.

The Steelhead Power Company of House Goliath skirmished with Meticulosa Nomen of House Cawdor in the tunnels beneath the main levels of the encampents, with brutal casualties on both sides.

Later in the cycle further clashes occurred, with the Steelhead Power Company emerging victorious over the Arc Welders Local 419 in the industrial zones.

The Muses of Boom and the 2nd Shift Linemen once again skirmished in the underways below a liquid nitrogen storage facility, an area fraught with danger but lucrative rewards, marking the beginning a long-term feud between the two Houses.

The Light of the Emperor's Benediction, a splinter sect of House Cawdor, ambushed their fellow house gang Meticulosa Nomen but didn't manage to pin down their erstwhile foes, and instead snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

As the cycle drew to a close, the balance of power remained fairly stable with no one House gaining significant territory increases or losses. House Goliath and House Cawdor as a whole maintain a strong grip on the area due to the increased number of gangs operating on their behalf, but interniceine skirmishing prevented either House from capitalizing on the fact...

All in all it was a successful initial meetup and we're going to be changing a few things to help it flow even smoother for next month's session!